Dreaming Sarah won’t appeal to everyone. This is a game where you grab a good drink, sit down on your favourite comfy chair and just get immersed in, then probably never touch again. But for the price of entry, it’s worth a shot. Maybe it was the music, the subtle but effective details or maybe just because the game spoke to me in ways I didn’t expect. But Dreaming Sarah was an experience that moved me. A weird but memorable experience I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon.
Sir Lovelot is a nice little pixel platformer that I ended up enjoying a lot more than I expected. The silly premise, cute graphics and forgiving gameplay just won me over and I found it hard to put this game down at times. It won’t suit everyone but for me, Sir Lovelot took a flower to my heart and I was sold
While it’s graphics are cute DOTORI ended up being severely disappointing. The controls are slow and clunky and the game feels mediocre overall. Maybe with some patching, it could become more appealing. But in its current state, I would say this is one for the dedicated platform fan only, who has exhausted all other options on Switch.
Castle Kong is a decent arcade game for those looking to scratch that nostalgic itch. It unapologetically mimics the arcade design, warts an all, which will appeal to purists but possibly put off gamers looking for some modern improvements to the formula. But by being so similar to the game it takes inspiration from, Castle Kong doesn’t feel like it has its own identity. This makes me wonder if those looking for a nostalgia kick will just end up playing Donkey Kong instead (also available on eShop). What I would like to see is the developers take this concept and produce their own original arcade-style game. Until that happens though we have Castle Kong to enjoy, and it’s pretty good.
If you somehow never got to play Crazy Taxi or you no longer have access to play it, then Taxi Chaos is a decent pick and play an arcade game to enjoy in small gaming bursts. It’s a valiant effort but it kinda lacks the magic of the game it’s inspired from. Lacking memorable characters, pumping music and that atmosphere I used to feel in the arcade feels absent here. Taxi Chaos also doesn’t try anything new with the formula. For myself I found myself wanting to dig out Crazy Taxi and play that instead. But I guess when I’m too lazy to do that I’ll probably still give Taxi Chaos a drive-through.
There’s a place in London called the TATE Modern which is a modern art museum. I’ve visited this place a few times in my youth and on one occasion I saw an exhibit where an artist painted junk from a garage and arranged it on the floor in an attempt to look arty. What I’m trying to get at here is some folk are going to look at this exhibit and appreciate it and others are not. I fall into the latter when it comes to PUSS! But that’s not to say it won’t find an audience. If you’re looking for a hard game with bizarre art design have at it. You have been warned.
Blue Fire was a game I really wanted to like more than I did. I loved the art style and the doom and gloomy feel the game was going for, the main character is also instantly likeable. For the most part, I did enjoy the gameplay but the niggles I had with pathfinding and frustrating platformer sections did damper my experience. Though it didn’t fully light my fire I can see this being something special to other gamers. If you like your 3D adventures this is a game well worth looking into. Just be cautious if you’re not a platforming fan.
Horned Knight won’t set the world on fire, with its simple graphics and gameplay that doesn’t offer anything particularly new. But just like a regular coffee, I drink on a daily basis sometimes having more of the same is just fine. Horned Knight plays well, performs great and I personally had fun creating my own story about Hunter the Knight which I would have never been inspired by had this game not existed. In all seriousness, I do hope Horned Knight does lead the developer onto future projects. It follows the simple rule of game development, being fun.
Undermine is a rogue-lite that doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to other games in the genre. But this wheel is of high quality and made to such a high standard it’s hard to ignore. If you’re old or new to the genre Undermine is a title that you can sink hundreds of hours in long or short bursts. Undermine is easily up there as one of the best titles in the Rogue Lite genre. Excellent stuff
Overall, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is a highly entertaining game that can be enjoyed alone but just feels a bit more alive if you’re able to play it in co-op. A few niggles and odd pacing issues pop up but don’t totally deter away from the entertainment on offer here. Whether you want to play in long or short bursts Rogue Heroes is a delightful adventure worth investing in. It sure takes a lot of inspiration from Zelda but that doesn’t mean it’s not just as entertaining. Nice job. If you want to try the game before you buy there’s a free demo available on the eShop. And for those who have completed their epic quest….. 8!
Bugvasion TD feels like a pretty standard tower defense game, which is unlikely to win over new fans to the genre. It’s a hard genre to really reinvent but the developers clearly put a lot of care and attention into this project. The game keeps you interested by making use of the environment and firing off skills at the right time to keep you engaged with the tower defense experience rather than sitting back and just watching. If you don’t mind your insects then there is a solid gaming experience here. I sure won’t be able to look at bugs in my garage the same way again for a while.
Halloween Forever is a retro treat on Switch. It reminds me of the days when developers came up with wacky but original ideas and somehow made them work on the hardware. But while Halloween Forever has the originality and retro charm it also brings retro warts; like one-hit kill spikes and sending you back to the start of the game when your two lives are spent. If you love your retro titles this one comes highly recommended. Halloween Forever is a game that can be enjoyed all year round and not just for Halloween.
Cyber-Shadow feels a bit like that guy/gal at a party you didn’t get a chance to talk to because they blended in too well with all the other retro looking games, I mean party guests. But if you take the time to talk to them, get to know them. There really is an entertaining game here. Cyber-Shadow’s stand out features are easily; it’s fantastic soundtrack, its cyber ninja aesthetic and its tough but ultimately enjoyable gameplay. The game is tough but not to the extent that I wanted to fling my controller into the PC. If you have room in your life for another retro inspired classic Cyber-Shadow won’t disappoint.
If you played and liked Boot Hill Heroes, its sequel Boot Hill Bounties is a must buy. It takes the RPG formula from the first game, refines it as well as adding a plethora of additional content. This is an example of how to do a game sequel well. Boot Hill Bounties stands out as one of the retro-inspired RPG greats making the developers, Experimental Gamer Studios, a studio well worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Georifters feels like the last chocolate in a selection box that people don’t eat, like the orange truffle. It’s not that it tastes bad, it just isn’t the first thing people are going to gravitate to. It has some cool ideas with the puzzle platforming but the formula gets dull quickly. If you are able to persist through the experience there are some well designed levels, with plenty of content on offer. However, with the title sometimes crawling at a slow pace it feels like some gamers might drop off before this. It’s better in co-op but with the Switch having many local co-op options these days this one doesn’t stand out as much as other titles. Definitely one to consider on sale or if your looking for a decent co-op experience.
Project Starship X is a wild and wacky space shooter that is enjoyable to play in small bursts. It sometimes feels more time was given to making the game funny than making it a more solid shooter. Some will get the joke but if you lean too heavily into this design some will certainly not. If you’re looking for a game to play in short bursts with some rough edges then Project Starship X is sure to provide an enjoyable and hopefully funny experience for you.
Overall, I enjoyed reviving the fallen enemies to aid me in battle and the score for this game is pretty good. Sword of the Necromancer has some interesting ideas but it doesn’t quite come together to stand tall against other titans in the roguelike genre. The combat lacks satisfaction and the game feels a little light on items in the build I played. It feels like there is more to come though with potential future updates. Maybe with time, it will become more than just a good roguelike experience.
Turrican Flashback is a great way to enjoy four fantastic retro games. The extra features and various display options and rewind are most welcome and each game runs great on the Nintendo Switch. Some titles are sadly absent in this collection but what is present is solid. Whether you’re new or old to the Turrican series, this is a great place to jump in, rather than hunting down the original copies of the games and hardware. Because where Turri-can…you can!
If you like your 2D hack and slash games with challenging gameplay Golden Force is well worth picking up. But if you’re picking this up for co-op I’d say be careful. Also, additional difficulty settings and less gold grinding to get new items would have made this experience more accessible for a wider audience. That being said, Golden Force does have that retro old school feel of pattern recognition that will appeal to some gamers. Plus it has the coolest old man character I’ve played as in a video game in recent memory. Nice work.
When you look at a game like Bonkies it’s hard not to smile. Cute graphics, sounds and a puzzler that is highly enjoyable to play particularly if you can enjoy it with someone else. No monkey business here, the developers have created a wonderful experience which is sure going to bring smiles to many people’s faces, who I’m sure could really do with it in these challenging times.